Technology: Microelectronics
Nsite, an industry leader in on-
demand, self-learning business
process automation solutions
has signed Remec, Semtech and
Spectra-Physics among 12 new
customers added since
December. Nsite claims to be
the fastest, most cost-effective
way to automate and improve a
business process. It is delivered
as an on-demand, subscription-
based service via the web, and
claims to enable continuous
improvement through its
patented self-learning technolo-
gy. New Nsite customers repre-
sent high-tech manufacture, one
of the company's target indus-
try segments.
“We activated Nsite in two
days, started using it to auto-
mate capital acquisition
requests and purchase
requisitions and expanded from
50 to 300 users within days,”
said Rick Taylor,VP IT of
Remec, which designs and
manufactures microwave and
millimeter wave subsystems
used in the transmission of
voice, video and data traffic
over wireless communications
networks.“We plan to use
Nsite to improve all kinds of
processes,” said Taylor.“This
application is only limited by
your imagination.”
Remec Inc's 1Q fiscal 2005 had
net sales for the three months
ending April 2004 increase by
42.9% to $116.2m, as compared
to $81.3m in the previous year’s
quarter. There was a net loss of
$7.1m or 11c/diluted share
compared with a net loss of
$7.1m or 12c/diluted share for
the same period last year.
Increase in the sales was prima-
rily attributable to increased
unit sales of wireless systems
products plus revenues from
calendar year 2003 acquisitions
in the wireless systems seg-
ment. Sales in the Company's
defense and space segment
were also up. Increased sales
were the driver in gross profit
increasing by 12%, to $19.5m in
1Q 2005, as compared to
$17.4m previously.
Gross margins however
decreased to 16.8% during the
first quarter as compared to
21.4% during the year earlier
quarter. Decline in margin was
attributable to a continuation of
industry-wide pricing pressures
in the wireless systems segment
and transitional costs related to
the company's relocation of its
manufacturing operations prima-
rily from Finland to China.
Remec was recently awarded a
contract for development of low
cost transmit/receive MMIC for
application to X and Ku band
modules for the US government.
The Air Force Research
Laboratory Aerospace
Components and Subsystems
Concepts Division, Sensors
Directorate awarded a $675,000
contract to the MMIC division of
the REMEC Defense & Space
Group, to develop engineering
prototype X-band and Ku-band
T/R MMICs/modules and power
amplifiers as low cost building
blocks for future phased array
radar systems that require large
quantities of modules.
The positive results of the
recent Remec/AFRL L-band
development effort were pre-
sented to the Government/
Industry 'GOMAC' conference
last month in Monterey,
California.The new work will
be performed this fiscal year by
the Remec Defense & Space
Group with headquarters in
San Diego, California.
News Update
www.three-fives.com 11
Remec opts for Nsite and China
Park Electrochemical
Corporation's Nelco SAS sub-
sidiary located in Mirebeau,
France is being integrated into
the company's Neltec group of
businesses.
The Neltec group currently
consists of Neltec Inc located
in Tempe,Arizona and Neltec
SA, located in Lannemezan,
France.The company's Neltec
group of businesses focuses
exclusively on high-perform-
ance digital and
RF/Microwave materials for
very high-end electronic
applications. Nelco, SAS is
being renamed Neltec
Europe SAS.
Although the new Neltec
Europe SAS will continue to
service its existing customers
with its existing product line,
the new emphasis for Neltec
Europe SAS will be to drive
technology in the European
market.Accordingly, the new
Neltec Europe SAS, which will
continue to be based in
Mirebeau, France, will offer
and fully service the Neltec
group's entire high-perform-
ance product line.
Brian Shore, Park's President
and CEO, said,“We look at
this major change in emphasis
of our European business
as a very positive develop-
ment.As far as I am con-
cerned, there does not exist
any very important long-term
future for the RF-4 business in
Europe. However, we do
believe there is an important
future for high technology
digital and RF/microwave
materials in Europe, and this
is where our focus will be in
the future.”
Nelco turns NeltecSungil Telecom, Seoul, South
Korea, has selected Fairchild's
RMPA0959 as the RF power
amplifier of choice for the
Scorpio V0.3 phone board -- a
top OEM phone board in the
aggressive Korean handset
design marketplace.
Fairchild's high-power amplifi-
er is designed for the Wireless
Local Loop (WLL) and CDMA
applications and offers out-
standing linearity and efficien-
cy to reduce interference
between cell phones, while
reducing board space by 44%.
"Fairchild continues to be at
the forefront of high-perform-
ance integrated RF power
amplifier module develop-
ment," commented Sungil
Telecom's CEO, Joo-hwan
Cho. "This leading-edge design
plays an instrumental role in
allowing Sungil to produce
one of the most efficient
phone boards in the
marketplace.We look forward
to continuing our relationship
on other projects with
Fairchild."
The RMPA0959 is a two-stage
power amplifier module for
cellular AMPS, CDMA and
CDMA2000-1X wireless appli-
cations in the 824-849MHz fre-
quency band. Outstanding
adjacent channel (less than -
50dBc) and alternate channel
(less than -60dBc) linearity
provide high signal quality for
CDMA2000-1XRTT voice and
data communications.
Packaged in a compact LCC
outline (4.0 x 4.0 x 1.5mm)
package, the RF power amplifi-
er reduces board space up to
44% while conforming to the
industry standard pin-out
configuration.
Fairchild’s PA